Chapter 65: Expanding Territories: Sasame Fuma: Part II (1/2)

Soifon wasn’t sure about just what to make of the world that she found herself in now as a result of finding out that Yoruichi was in some kind of bizarre multi-partner relationship with Naruto. It wasn’t that they had explained it to her though, since the morning after her discovery everyone had acted as if she hadn’t observed their late night tryst. Although, Soifon was forced to admit to herself that wasn’t entirely accurate since Yoruichi, Kin and Ino were no longer hiding their feelings for Naruto. They weren’t being overly overt in showing their affection for him, but she was picking up on the small signs that they gave each other, such as a touch that lingered a little more than was necessary when passing something to each. She found herself wondering whether or not that had been the case for the entire trip, or just something that she was now quite aware of due to what she had witnessed.

Not to mention in the several nights since the one in question all three women had slept in Naruto’s tent. She had not been able to make out any sounds of them having sex, but she figured that they were using a seal similar to the one that they had applied to her tent. But, from the way the tent would rustle it left little doubt as to what they were up to.

Although she doubted that they would be engaging in such activities later on that night due to the grisly discovery they had come across that morning. Soifon, despite having reached the rank of Chunin with the Leaf before quitting after Pain’s Invasion in order to try and become Yoruichi’s apprentice, still had found the sight of the burned merchant caravan and corpses something to grow angry over. If there had been one thing that bothered her over her choice to stop being a shinobi it would be that she would be letting her talents go to waste. She had ultimately based her decision on the belief that should she be able to learn from someone as strong as Yoruichi then in time she would be able to bring justice to such murdering scum far more efficiently. It was the other reason that she had eagerly accepted Kiyomi’s offer of employment, although the other was obviously her infatuation with Yoruichi, since she knew guarding valuable caravans would put her in direct confrontation with bandits more often than even being a shinobi would.

Her gaze drifted to Naruto’s back and she felt her cheeks color as for a moment she pictured him naked. She quickly shook her head to banish the image, but it lingered for several seconds while a part of her whispered how good it would be to experience the same pleasure Yoruichi had. Soifon scowled as she now found herself fighting against her fixation on the dark-skinned woman as it tried to justify her becoming the blond man’s lover in order to get closer to the woman. Although truthfully, it wasn’t the only reason she was tempted to enter his bed as she had reasoned that there must be something special about him for the three women to so readily share him.

Something the dark-haired woman had to admit might not just be related to his skills between the sheets as she had begun to observe him more closely. At first she had done so in an effort to apply Ino’s insight about how being infatuated with Yoruichi didn’t mean she understood the woman. As such, she had figured that for the golden-eyed woman to agree to be Naruto’s lover then he must have a much deeper well of insight about her. In observing him, it had forced her to acknowledge that Ino had been right as one thing Soifon had noticed right away was that outside of when she was around Naruto, Ino, or Kin, the purple-haired woman almost always seemed to be on guard. To Soifon it was as if Yoruichi was afraid that at any moment some secret she was in possession of would be revealed which would cause the other people around her to go berserk. As a result, whenever they passed through a town or people the dark-skinned woman always seemed to drift a little closer to Naruto or one of the other two women. To Soifon’s great delight it seemed that at the very least her lack of reaction to the relationship shared between her traveling partners had caused Yoruichi to lower her guard around her too, if ever so slightly. Soifon wondered why that was for a moment, but she suspected that by not reacting negatively to what she had seen it had in essence shown Yoruichi that she might have a similar reaction to whatever other secret the woman had.

Soifon wasn’t sure why she didn’t have any real reaction to what she had witnessed. Although, she did suspect that a part of it was because at the very least Ino and Yoruichi knew that she had allowed the blonde kunoichi to rub her to a fantastic orgasm. The petite woman still grew wet whenever she pictured Yoruichi sucking her cream from Ino’s fingers. But, Soifon suspected the primary reason was because Naruto and the others were displaying an inordinate amount of trust in her, and if she proved herself worthy of it then she might very well learn more, which would hopefully lead her to the goal that she desired.

Yet, she was also of the opinion that there was a lot more going on around her then she could possibly imagine. For example, she didn’t think that it was any coincidence that Naruto was helping Kin locate her sister at the same time Yoruichi and her were escorting the only shipment that the Great Tree Shipping Company had received from the Land of Rice Paddies. Something that Naruto was currently taking a great interest in especially after they had talked with the former leader of the Fuma Clan, Hanzaki. After arriving at the town where Club Kitty was located, which had been the former seat of power for the Fuma that had not joined Orochimaru, Soifon had surprised Naruto by requesting to accompany him to the meeting.

He had given her a pleasant smile, which had made her wonder when exactly she had begun to think of his smile in such terms. However, the smile hadn’t lasted after they had reached the club and the large man had limped over to them due to his losing a leg. In its place was a peg leg which he had explained was due to just how bad the situation the Fuma faced was.

She and Naruto where sitting in a booth across from him as the blond asked, “You’re telling me that you are under siege in your own country, and the Daimyo isn’t doing anything about it?”

Hanzaki sighed sounding weary and broken as he said, “Not exactly. The Daimyo has tried to get us the items that we need to combat these bastards, such as weapons and medical supplies. But, the bandits now cover such a vast territory that we can’t cover every path into the country.”

Soifon had inserted herself into the conversation by asking, “Have you tried to organize larger shipments so you can protect the vital shipments?”

“Aye,” Hanzaki stated, “That was something that I tried when I still ran the clan. Unfortunately that just prompted the bandits to call in their big guns, and was how I lost my leg to the Lizard.”

“Ahiko,” Naruto asked prompting the large man to nod his head.

“Yeah, that bastard was the one that took it,” the large man stated reaching down to tap on the wooden replacement. A small smile appeared on his lips as he added, “Although, if not for Sasame shooting an arrow into his eye the price I would have paid definitely would have been much higher. She’s become a fine leader of the Fuma.”

“Sasame is in charge now,” Naruto said although not shocked would admit to being surprised she would be given the reigns over more senior clan members.

“Aye,” Hanzaki replied with a voice filled with pride, “After your adventures here she began to push herself even harder. It is because of her leadership the clan can even still function. It’s also why we have spread the shipments out so much.”

“You figure that they might get some of them, but will not be able to hit everyone. It also lets you pick and choose which shipments will receive the extra protection,” Naruto said understanding the strategy.

Hanzaki sat back in the booth smirking as he said amused, “It appears Sasame isn’t the only one who has been improving herself these past several years.” The smile faltered though while adding, “Unfortunately, this approach doesn’t come without its own pitfalls. Many of which are beginning to present themselves.”

“What sort of pitfalls?” Soifon asked since although she could see the cost in the Fuma clan’s resources was of the belief that wasn’t what the man was referring too.

“He means that the cost to even arrange a shipment to enter the country is likely quickly growing, which in turn will limit how many can be sent at one time,” Naruto answered for the leader applying some of the economic lessons that he had received from Karin. “The companies that they are contracting with that don’t make it to their destinations lose men and materials, thus forcing the companies to raise their prices. Eventually the number of shipments will reach a point where nothing slips through unnoticed. When that happens the bandits will likely swarm the remaining shipments cutting off any supplies or force the Fuma to arrange larger ones like before.” Focusing on Hanzaki, the blond asked, “If the latter happens, how confident are you the Fuma would prevail?”

“I hate to admit it, but even if we mustered all of our forces I do not know if we would win in a straight fight,” Hanzaki answered begrudgingly. “A lot of those bastards are former experiments of Orochimaru including Ahiko. Furthermore, it almost seems like they are stockpiling the weapons from the shipments they have hit.”

Naruto leaned forward in interest asking, “Why do you believe that?”

The large man winced rubbing just above where he had lost his leg as if to ease the phantom pain he felt before answering, “It’s just these bastards aren’t acting like normal bandits. They aren’t targeting the richest shipments, but those most useful to arming themselves. Plus, they have access to some rather impressive ninja tools. Ahiko for example seems to have made a contract with the Lizards.”

“That’s not something you would expect a bandit and former prisoner to have access to,” Naruto said as the frown on his face got bigger. “Do you think that is something that they got their hands on from one of the shipments they hijacked?”

“If so it wasn’t coming to us,” Hanzaki replied. “Contracts like that don’t just pop up all that often, and when they do it is almost always on the black market.”

“Which means it is possible that Ahiko has a powerful ally or backer that we don’t know of,” Naruto said concerned. “I’ve looked through the inventory of items that we are transporting and they seem to be luxury goods meant for the palace. This might be why we haven’t been attacked if your hunch about their only being interested in items useful to soldiers is correct. Yet that would seem to suggest that the bandits are aware of what we are carrying.”

“Or they know who is guarding it,” Soifon supplied quickly prompting a slight smile to appear on Naruto’s lips.

“True,” Naruto said causing a slight look of pride to appear on Soifon’s face before teasingly adding, “Yoruichi would be enough to dissuade most potential highwaymen.” Soifon scowled at him, but her cheeks colored slightly as he sent her a smile to let her know he was kidding. It worked for a moment before she scowled again as if on principle, but Naruto turning serious as he continued, “But that would again seem to suggest that the bandits have intel that they really shouldn’t. Plus considering how far we have traveled without even sensing a group close enough to cause us trouble makes me feel as if we are being allowed through.”

Soifon knowing what it cost for a person to hire the women that protected the Gold level shipments asked, “If we are being let through by someone in the capital then why bother spending so much money on protecting this shipment?”

“I can only guess at this point, but there are several reasons that I can think of,” Naruto said rubbing his chin in thought. “The most obvious is that considering how valuable the cargo you are escorting is, it would raise some red flags if we got to the capital unmolested. Also, we can’t assume that every bandit is aligned with Ahiko and so you were hired to make sure these rogue elements don’t get any funny ideas.”

Hanzaki’s voice dripped with disgust as he said, “Besides, the Daimyo is making out like a bandit himself in this situation.”

“He is,” Naruto said concerned.

“Yes, the Daimyo is footing the bill for the supplies and has them insured so if the shipment is robbed then he is reimbursed. Meanwhile we Fuma, who arrange the shipments, lose out on the cost of them,” the former Clan leader stated bitterly.

Naruto had the sense that the Daimyo was running some sort of scam so asked Soifon, “Do you know who arranged the shipment that you are guarding?”

Soifon believing that she knew what Naruto was thinking answered, “I believe it was a representative of the Daimyo. That means he might have some involvement in the decision making process, but are you honestly suggesting the Daimyo is involved with these bandits in some way?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time such a thing has happened,” Naruto stated matter of factly. Remembering what Jiraiya had told him and Sakura about how Orochimaru first gained power in the Land of Rice Paddies when they had first met Sasame, he added, “Furthermore this Daimyo in the past has shown himself to be pretty ambitious. He forced the Fuma into a war with the neighboring countries that ultimately turned against them. Having his ambition thwarted, he then allowed Orochimaru to set up shop here due to him promising him power. I could see him turning to another group promising him much the same thing.”

“But to what end?” Soifon asked, “And why pit the Fuma against the bandits if he’s working with them?”

Naruto shrugged, “I don’t know. We’ll probably get a better idea once we reach the capital.” Standing he offered his hand to the former Fuma clan head stating, “Thanks for the information. I have one last thing to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Is Kotohime in the capital as well with the rest of you clan?”

“Aye, she’s Sasame’s second in command,” Hanzaki replied. “Any particular reason that you ask?”

“I’m traveling with her sister,” Naruto said happy to hear nothing bad had happened to the woman during the turbulent times the Fuma were experiencing.

Hanzaki eyes grew large with surprise as a wide grin appeared on his face as he said, “Well that is welcome news. Kotohime married into the clan and while her husband did join Sound due to the promises of power that Orochimaru made, I believe she didn’t put up more of a fight to stop him due to the temptation of finding her sister again. Sadly, she lost him to the snake bastard’s invasion of Konoha, and I suspect that, along with learning her sister had supposedly died during it as well was why she remained with Sound until Lord Jiraiya saved her.”

Soifon could tell that Naruto had felt some of the worry he felt about reuniting Kin with her sister fade upon hearing Kotohime had joined Sound in hopes of finding his lover. She knew from some of the conversations she had heard while they sat around a fire at night that Kin was worried her sister would reject her due to some past bad blood. The two of them had then left the club after saying their good-byes where Naruto had informed Kin that her sister was in the capital. The dark haired woman had been happy to hear her sister was well and that she should be relatively easy to find. Yet, she still appeared nervous obviously finding it easier to believe that Kotohime had joined the Sound Village more for the man she had married then to find her.

Watching Naruto assure the former Sound-nin that her sister was going to be thrilled to see that she was alive and the way his belief helped brighten Kin’s outlook. Soifon began to understand what it was that attracted the three women she was traveling with to the man.

*****

Kurenai entered the apartment that she shared with Yuugao and Anko, although the special jounin was currently on a long term mission in Vegetable Country. The red eyed woman was returning from her nightly run, which she had started shortly after moving into the Hidden Eddy Inn. She began taking off her running shoes as she recalled how the women of the Inn had stated that her running so late at night was to avoid interacting with people. Although she had denied it, she wasn’t deluding herself as she knew that was exactly the reason. She couldn’t exactly explain what was behind her discomfort around people; although she told herself that it was tied to her belief that she should remain alone as a result of failing to protect her and Asuma’s child.

Yet, she found herself reexamining her motives due to Kushina’s calling her out about her desire not to form new bonds, not to mention the other women quickly agreeing with the red-head. Primarily since while it sounded rather noble to remain alone as a form of penance, a part of her was crying out that it was just because she was scared of being hurt again through losing those she cared for. The jounin-sensei suspected that the part of her voicing that thought that was being the most truthful. However, the reason she found that she could ignore it was due to it seeming to be the loudest whenever she felt particularly desirous of a man’s touch, or just after bringing herself to orgasm. Due to that, she found it easier to continue to cling to the idea that she deserved to be alone, since although the voice telling her that she was scared was being more truthful, it was also telling her to give into a temptation she knew might help numb the pain of loss that remained despite the time that had passed since Pain’s Invasion.

Having removed her shoes, she stepped into the living room to see Yuugao sitting on the couch with files spread over the coffee table. The Anbu Captain looked up from a report that she was reading to give a crisp nod, before returning her attention back to the paper as Kurenai made her way to the shower. Upon entering the laundry room that separated the living room from the bathroom, the dark haired woman shook her head again as she marveled at just how luxurious the apartment was as it was easy to see the quality that went into its refurbishing. Kurenai felt a pang of guilt that she had essentially been living there rent free as a result of her having been removed from active duty after her suicide attempt. She had attempted to bring up the subject since being reactivated, but Yuugao had told her not to worry about it.

Having stripped out of her clothes, she entered the bathroom and stepped under detachable showerhead. She sighed as the warm water washed the dried sweat from her skin before turning away to let it soak into her hair. After massaging in some shampoo, she closed her eyes to let the water clean it away and heard the voice telling her that she was being a coward for trying to close herself off from people begin to call out to her. She tried to argue that she wasn’t, especially as she had grown closer to the women and young man who lived under the same roof as her over the past year. Still, the voice quickly used how Miya had pointed out that she really had no choice but to do so. She tried to argue back, but was cut off as an image of Naruto giving her a wide smile appeared behind her eyelids.

She wanted to protest that the voice was fighting dirty especially as her cheeks flushed from the image. But before she could, it was quickly followed by the rest of the memory which was basically the dinner the residents of the Inn had enjoyed the day before Naruto and Ino had left on their mission to the Land of Rice Paddies. There had been a moment as they had eaten when she could sense the happiness that Naruto had felt as he looked around the table. When it had centered on her, she had nearly swooned as a result of the smile that he had given her. It was one of the reasons that she had quickly brought up the subject of Ino’s lack of presence at the meal in order to distract her thoughts from going down the path they had been traveling too often of late. That being how she had found herself growing increasingly attracted to Naruto, and more often than not whenever her subconscious wanted to shut down her arguments about remaining alone it would generally throw images of the blond at her. She hated the fact that it was a tactic that was proving rather effective in weakening her determination.

She wasn’t sure why her subconscious was so focused on the blond man, as while she could chalk it up to his likely being the closest man to her presently outside of Kiba and Shino, she didn’t think that explained it entirely. After all, she would admit to herself that from time to time she had sexual fantasized about having an encounter with the two men on her team usually in the roles of the older woman seducing her students, although she would admit to a few of those scenarios stared Hinata. However, those fantasies were few and far between. Yet ever since she had heard Anko with her mysterious lover, and had imagined herself in a similar situation with Naruto, the red eyed Jounin could state that she viewed Naruto as her go to fantasy lover.

She supposed a part of it was that she did get to see him in more of a relaxed environment then she did any other man. Not to mention the times she had gotten to see him in various stages of undress due to his habit of sometimes coming down to breakfast in just some loose fitting shorts. Or the times she had seen him work up a sweat in the same clothes as he practiced in the training room within the inn. But, while that might explain her physical attraction to him, she couldn’t say that was entirely the reason as there was an emotional component to it as well. This she knew was true as unlike the scenarios her mind conjured for her when they stared her students, her fantasies about Naruto didn’t play out like a hastily produced porno in that all it consisted of was the scenario and a flimsy excuse to get naked. When she dreamed of what kind of experiences she would enjoy with Naruto, although sometimes they did play out like the ones of her students. More often than not, they were more sensual and tender. Although, there was one that she had which stared the blond man and many copies of him as they had their way with her. She knew that the Shadow Clone jutsu didn’t withstand the rigors of sex having tried it with Asama in the past, but that was what fantasies were for after all.

She supposed though that she was just overthinking the whole matter, and her fantasies with Naruto simply seemed to convey a more emotional context due to their living arrangements. Not to mention being related to how all the women of the Hidden Eddy Inn kept mentioning how they viewed those living there as a part of their family. It was a rather seductive thought especially considering how she had lost hers, and if it was a family then she was definitely casting Naruto in the husband role. It wasn’t hard to imagine due to her witnessing how he was with Ayame when she stayed over, not to mention at times it almost felt as if the other women viewed themselves as being just as close to the man. In truth every time Kurenai entered a room that contained Naruto and one or more of the other women that lived at the Hidden Eddy Inn, she always felt as if the atmosphere of the room had changed as a result of her presence.

At first she had assumed it was because of the losses that she had experienced, almost as if the other occupants of the inn were unsure of how to act or behave around her. However, she quickly realized that wasn’t the case as the same feeling was never present when she was alone with one of them. It only seemed to happen whenever there was a gathering and more often than not Naruto was present, although that wasn’t always the case. Yet still, it never appeared like the conversation in a room she entered came to a sudden stop, but she did feel as if there might have been a shift in the atmosphere. It wasn’t a negative shift, but more akin to a teacher stepping into a classroom that had been in chaos moments before, however upon entering found it to be orderly and calm.

All in all it felt as if something was being kept from her, a feeling that she also attributed to her friends Anko and Yuugao. It was more obvious with Anko due to her overhearing the special jounin with her lover. But she also suspected that Yuugao was seeing someone secretly as well. The reason she suspected Yuugao had a secret Beau was primarily due to sometimes she would enter the apartment and have the sense that someone had just been there. At those times if she saw Yuugao the Anbu Captain almost always wore a small but happy smile, or gave off the impression that she had been thoroughly pleased in a physical capacity. Kurenai knew that she couldn’t exactly blame the two women for not letting her know the details of their relationships, if indeed Yuugao was indeed in one, as she had kept just how serious she and Asuma had become from them. However, Kurenai hoped that the reason she hadn’t come across them with their respective lovers was due to their hoping to not bring back painful memories for her.

Kurenai told herself that she was being silly as Anko hadn’t had any problem elaborating on what she had been doing when she had nearly caught her with the man that she called her master. The red eyed woman felt her cheeks flush as the memory gave way to one of her favorite fantasies. She bit her lip as her hand slid across her stomach as she brought it between her legs. Sliding her middle finger along her slit she let out a small whimper. The setting of her fantasy changed but it always played out the same as she imagined the door to the apartment opening while she was occupied with her self-pleasure. Naruto stepped into the apartment, and although the reason for his visits would change, he’d hear the moans as she began to more energetically rub her pussy.

In her imagination the door to the bathroom opened as Naruto hearing her pleasure filled moans would investigate. His response upon finding her pleasuring herself would vary depending on her mood. Sometimes he would burst in thinking something was wrong due to her imagination believing the more innocent Naruto of his youth would act that way. However, that scenario tended to happen less and less frequently as Ayame at times made it quite clear Naruto wasn’t a stranger to the pleasures to be had with a woman. The innocent Naruto wasn’t making an appearance this time around as she pictured him stepping into the shower behind her naked.

“What have we here?” her fantasy lover asked with a knowing smile as she gasped from his sneaking up on her.

Kurenai’s response would also vary depending on her mood, but today she wasn’t in the mood to play the reluctant woman that gave into his advances. Today likely due to the loneliness she felt and her desire for another’s touch she pictured him as her lover surprising her by coming home early. As such she looked over her shoulder to say needfully, “Mmmm, you’re just in time.” Spreading her pussy for him she added, “I have an itch that I just can’t seem to reach.”

In reality Kurenai pulled the detachable showerhead from the wall and placed it between her thighs. She closed them around it, as she imagined Naruto kneeling behind her to begin licking her pussy. She bit her lip trying not to moan as the water massaged her cunt while she ran her hands over her skin and fondled her breasts.

“S-stop teasing me,” the Kurenai in the same fantasy world as Naruto said since although pleasurable his tongue was a poor substitute for what her body truly desired.

Naruto pulled his face from her backside and stood stating, “Then you’re going to need to get me ready.”

Both the real and imaginary Kurenai sank to their knees as in the fantasy she began flicking her tongue against the tip of Naruto’s still flaccid cock. Hearing her lover groan she swallowed it and began working her mouth over it as his manhood grew firmer as it began to awaken. In reality, Kurenai was sucking on her fingers as the still trapped showerhead stimulated her lower lips.

In the fantasy, Kurenai let Naruto’s manhood slip free of her lips with a wet pop and starting at the base ran her tongue underneath the shaft until reaching the tip which she placed a kiss against as it stood up proudly. She the laid on her back spreading her legs to show off her soaked cunnie. “H..hurry Naruto…. I need to feel you inside me… hurry…”

Her fantasy lover knelt before her kissing her hungrily and as their tongues danced she moaned out as he buried his length inside her. In reality though Kurenai was laying on her back using one hand to aim the water at her pussy as the other plunged her index finger inside it. The Kurenai with Naruto let her voice out as she reached up and grabbed his shoulders from underneath his arms while her feet were clamped firmly behind the small of his back.

However, in truth Kurenai was muffling her cries as she pushed against the wall of the shower with her feet trying to simulate throwing herself against her imaginary lover’s thrusts. Both Kurenai reached their climaxes with one achieving much more pleasant results as her lover shouted her name while he filled her insides with his warmth. A warmth the grew more encompassing as Naruto sagged atop of her and his body pressing firmly against hers as they kissed softly and lovingly in the aftermath of their lovemaking.

Kurenai sighed disappointedly as she opened her eyes to find herself alone as the fantasy gave way to reality. Getting back to her feet although shakily she placed the showerhead back and stepped back under the spray wishing her womb still felt as warm as the water running down her body was making her skin feel.

****

Yuugao heard the water shut off as Kurenai finished her shower. A few moments later she entered the living room with a towel wrapped around her body and another around her head. The Anbu Captain wasn’t surprised that upon spotting that they now had a guest the red-eyed woman’s gaze appeared unsure about what to make of Komachi’s presence. Particularly since before becoming Naruto’s lover, in all likelihood even with Komachi betraying Danzou, Kurenai knew that she would have assigned the former Root Anbu to a remote outpost in the middle of nowhere for betraying her trust. As such, her friend and roommate was probably rather surprised that instead the sandy blonde haired woman was not only on her squad, but had been made the second in command of it. Not to mention that the two of them had become close enough that they were currently sharing a bottle of wine as they looked over the file that she had been studying before.

Komachi minus her mask looked up from some pictures on the coffee table from her position on the couch opposite the one that Yuugao was sitting on. Focusing on the jounin she said politely, “Good evening Miss Yuuhi.”

Kurenai smiled politely finding the formal way the woman talked a little strange in the non-formal environment. “Please just Kurenai is fine,” the jounin said as she moved to the kitchen to grab an empty glass. Quickly returning she poured herself some wine as she took a seat next to Yuugao asking, “Don’t the two of you know how to relax? You and your team just returned to the village, you can’t tell me you’re already planning to leave again. There can’t be many more bounty offices left for you to attack in the Land of Fire.”

Yuugao frowned but stated, “We’ve come to realize hitting the offices was a dead-end. There are plans in the works for us to try a new strategy in order to find out more about the organization behind them.”

Kurenai studied her friend recalling those how zealous the purple-haired woman had been in her pursuit of leads about those who had placed a bounty on Naruto. She had been a little surprised by the passion that Yuugao had put into the task, but had chalked it up to her taking the job serious as the blond man had become the Leaf’s beloved hero. Yet at times the red-eyed woman couldn’t help feeling that Yuugao had taken the attempt on Naruto far more personally than her job necessitated. Taking a sip of her wine, she scoffed mentally as she stated to herself, “Get real Kurenai. The next thing you’ll be thinking is that Naruto is sleeping with Yuugao too.”

Shaking her head in amusement the Anbu Captain noticing asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” Kurenai replied letting her amusement fade to be replaced by curiosity. “So if you are done raiding Bounty offices, what are you working?”

Komachi looked to the purple haired woman who gave a slight nod so she explained, “While our squad was out of the village there had been a string of disappearances throughout Konoha. Several Anbu squads had been assigned to the cases primarily as they had no reason to suspect them as being linked.”

“Really,” Kurenai said surprised, “I mean you were out of the village for almost a month but you’d think a bunch of disappearances would trip some sort of an alarm.”

Yuugao took a sip from her glass before stating, “You’d be surprised at how many reports we get in a month. Most end up being wastes of time, either false alarms, runaways, or an occasion spy who has left the village leaving people wondering where they went. Plus outside of the victims all being male there was nothing to connect them to one another.”

“Victims?” Kurenai said her tone questioning, “So they weren’t kidnapped?”

Yuugao shook her head in the negative before answering, “No, they were murdered.” She handed the folder to Kurenai who hesitated for a moment but upon opening it she found it contained several pictures of what looked to be a bathroom with six mummified corpses inside it. She looked back to the Anbu Captain as she explained, “The first few to disappear were civilian males who ranged in age from the late teens to late fifties. The latest victim I assigned to my squad as he was a genin who worked in the treasury department. We discovered his corpse among the others which Komachi found by following a hunch she had based on the theory that our genin might be defecting or embezzling funds.”

Kurenai’s gaze shifted to the former Root Anbu as she said, “Back when I was with Root, we knew the owner of that motel tended to favor shady clients. Many spies from other villages knew the owner didn’t ask questions provided he was well paid. Due to this, I believed that if our genin was working with outsiders then they might be staying there.”

“I’m guessing the corpses then were people tied to the conspiracy?”

“I wish it was that simple,” Yuugao said frowning deeply, “It turns out the genin wasn’t up to anything nefarious. In fact, he was rather meticulous in his record keeping. He also had no connection to the other victims from what we can discern.”

“Moreover,” Komachi added, “It turns out the first victim was the motel owner. He had gone missing, but due to his shady nature his employees didn’t report it as he was known to do so from time to time. It looks like we have some kind of serial killer on our hands here. Unfortunately our motel owner was likely the one that checked in our guest and then was killed. Also, apparently whoever was staying there was careful as we don’t even know if it was a man or woman as no one was seen coming or going from the room.”

“How were they killed?” Kurenai asked although she believed it might have been via the Scorch Kekkei Genkai due to the condition of the bodies.

“At this time we aren’t sure,” Komachi answered, “We do know that they were drained of all bodily fluids and while someone with the Scorch bloodline ability would be a prime suspect. We have our doubts.”

Shifting her gaze between the two Anbu she asked, “Are you hesitant to say it’s someone with that bloodline because it means that it is someone from Suna?”

“No,” Komachi answered. Thinking of what she had seen of Pakura using her ability the blonde explained, “I have some dealing with opponents that have used the technique. Generally if it is the Scorch technique you can tell where on the body the orb makes first contact. It is the site from which most of the moisture of the body is first evaporated. In essence the body shrivels towards that point. These corpses though do not look like they shriveled due to a heat source that was embedded inside them, but almost as if the moisture was sucked out. There was a similar case when one of the associates of the missing-nin Hiruko attempted to kidnap Pakura of Suna and discourage pursuit by framing her by making it look like she had killed her squad. However in that instance there were puncture marks where the moisture was drained. They were just difficult to detect due to the shriveled condition of the bodies. We’ll need to wait for the autopsy to be finished to be sure, but I didn’t detect any such marks.”

Kurenai felt a little uneasy at the way the bodies were laid out and made her think it was more akin to an animal or creature tossing away the remains of a meal then a killer doing it for the thrill. With that in mind she asked, “What do you believe the motive for these murders would be then?”

Yuugao shrugged before leaning back into the couch as she replied, “I don’t know. There’s no discernable link between any of the victims other than gender.”

Komachi nodded before theorizing, “There might not be any other link then that. If so our perpetrator might be a woman who lured her victims to the motel to kill them.”

“To what end though?” Yuugao said slightly exasperated at her being unable to seeing a motive.

“Perhaps it is something that she needs to do,” Kurenai suggested causing both women to turn their gazes towards her after sharing a meaningful look.

Before she could inquire as to what silently passed between them Yuugao asked, “Why do you think that?”

Kurenai shrugged setting her glass down to adjust her towel as it threatened to come apart. Once in place she explained, “I guess it just looks like what you stumbled on was some kind of monster’s lair or something and it was using the bathroom to discard the remnants of its feeding.” Now wanting an answer of her own she asked, “Now what was up with that look that passed between you two?”

The two women quickly shared another one before with a sigh Yuugao answered, “It’s classified so I can’t go into very many details, but recently we did become aware of a kunoichi that needed to drain her victims of vitality to sustain her existence. Although I don’t believe she left them in such an emaciated state.”

“True, but she wasn’t allowed to fully drain her target,” Komachi said having also thought of Fuka as a result of Kurenai’s insight. “Although according to his employees the hotel manager went missing around the time she was first encountered.”

Yuugao sat back after having more of her wine. She let it relax her as she was still angry at the women despite Naruto’s energetic and pleasurable means of trying to get her to let go of her hostility towards the disgraced Uzumaki. She felt both pride and worry as she thought, “His capacity for forgiving scum is going to be his undoing someday.” However, even as she thought as much she was forced to admit that some of the women she was tied to through him would have been her definition of villains if she had met them under other circumstances. She knew one of the things that she admired most about him was his ability to make others want to be better versions of themselves. However, the Anbu Captain in her feared one day that nature would cause him to trust the wrong person who would be in a prime position to kill him in a way where she couldn’t protect him. It was a fear that sometimes caused Yuugao to wake in a cold sweat as she didn’t know how she would react upon losing him in a similar manner as she had Hayate.

Noticing Kurenai looking at her inquisitively likely due to her long silence and she figured some of her concerns might have shown on her face, she said, “I don’t think she is involved, but it might not be a bad idea to learn more about her jutsu. We might be dealing with a similar entity. Thanks Kurenai.”

The jounin smiled as she stood to get some rest. “I’m glad I could offer some assistance. Good night.”

The two Anbu returned the sentiment before Yuugao stood to move towards a window and look out on the darkened village. She couldn’t help feeling concerned as even though the village looked peaceful she knew something sinister was hiding in the darkness. She noticed Komachi’s reflection in the window as she joined her once Kurenai had left the room. A moment later her fellow Anbu asked, “Do you want me to speak with her? I’m aware you don’t particularly care for her presence?”

Yuugao sighed but turned from the window to give a tight smile as she said, “No, I’ll talk with her. She is trying to be helpful it seems and it is likely only a matter of time before she makes a full transition into the Family so I shouldn’t continue to bear a grudge towards her.”

Komachi nodded leaving Yuugao alone with her thoughts and the feeling that something truly evil was lurking in the village.

*****

Naruto and the others had passed through several other villages on their way to the Land of Rice Paddies Capital. Despite the rundown conditions of the towns, the people seemed in good spirits. A part of the reason Naruto believed was due to the fact that the people of Rice had been living in such conditions for a long time so any improvements to their lives was a blessing. But the prime reason was due to the people genuine affection for the Fuma, and in particular their leader Sasame. The young clan head had made it her goal that despite the hardships being faced by her clan in their struggles against the bandits, the people of Rice Country wouldn’t suffer. Therefore, many of the most well-guarded shipments entering the country were for items essential to the needs of Rice’s citizens. It was something that those citizens had all been too eager to share with him as he gathered more information on the situation.

One thing that was bothering Naruto about the situation though was that Rice Paddies chief export, which was rice, was leaving the country all but unmolested by the bandits. He knew there were a few possible reasons, namely that most of the shipments were well-guarded by the Daimyo’s samurai. Still, he doubted that explained it since the bandits hadn’t shown such restraint against similarly guarded shipments entering the country. Naruto felt there were only two explanations that would adequately explain the bandits targeting only imports with one being far more sinister than the other. The first was that someone in the capital was paying the bandits a type of tax to let the exports pass freely through their territory. Karin had made him aware that such practices were fairly common among the various shipping companies although she refused to do so. It did mean that the Great Tree Shipping Companies Caravans were targeted more often, but bandits were quickly learning to avoid them. It was due to a lot of bandits attacking those shipments that Soifon was promoted to protecting Gold Level Shipments as a result of how well she had handled herself.

The second possible explanation that Naruto could think of was the one that he was leaning towards and filled him with the most concern. That being that someone in the capital was actively working with the bandits and had demanded the exports be left alone as those were tied to his revenue stream. A stream that eventually reached the Daimyo’s coffers which meant everyone that dipped into that stream could be a suspect, including the Daimyo. Naruto sighed since if the Rice Daimyo was involved then he knew that he needed to tread carefully as he was probably on pretty thin ice with the Daimyo of the other countries and those not associated with his ambition. After all, he knew the Earth Daimyo would use his meddling in the affairs of another country’s politics as a bludgeon to make the Fire Daimyo exert more pressure on Tsunade to properly leash him. Although a part of Naruto suspected the Fire Daimyo wouldn’t need to be coerced all that much.

He sighed causing Soifon to ask, “What’s wrong?”

Naruto looked over his shoulder and smiled weakly answering, “Just have a lot on my mind.” The younger kunoichi nodded lapsing into silence. Naruto turned away letting his thoughts linger on the woman and how she had been less hostile to him ever since learning about his relationship with Yoruichi, not to mention the other two women she was traveling with. He was a little surprised she hadn’t made any mention of it to him directly, but Ino had informed him that she believed it was because having learned the woman she looked up to was in a relationship with him, she realized that she didn’t know as much about Yoruichi as she had thought so was trying to observe the situation.

Naruto smiled at his constantly being caught in his Yamanaka lover’s plots since he had only found out about Soifon seeing him with his lovers the morning after. When he had asked Ino why, she had stated that it was because she needed to show his other lovers how one went about properly setting up women to be seduced by him. Although a part of him was annoyed at always finding out she was plotting after the fact, it was hard to get angry or upset when her end goal was to have another woman become his lover. Considering that if not for her, he might have missed out on a chance to become his mother’s lover, he figured she had earned the leeway. Not to mention it was only fair for him to be but a piece in Ino’s game considering how a lot of his lovers had only learned of his own plotting just before joining him.

He could feel Ino’s amused gaze settle on him when Soifon acting almost exactly as the blonde kunoichi had predicted reached the next stage of trying to understand Yoruichi by seeking answers directly. As such, after making sure Yoruichi hadn’t returned from scouting the area Soifon asked, “Naruto?”

“Yes.”

“Um… well can I ask you something about Lady Yoruichi?”

For a moment Naruto nearly played dumb, but figured there was no point so said, “If I can answer it I will.”

The dark-haired woman nodded before asking, “H…How did you get so close with her? She’s so guarded around everyone,” she looked at the other women present before amending, “well truthfully just around me.”

Naruto looked over his shoulder to see that Soifon appeared a little embarrassed and sad at admitting as much. Looking forward he answered, “It’s because I see her for who she really is.”

“But how do you do that if she is so guarded?” Soifon quickly asked.

“I can’t really give you the answer to that,” Naruto replied. “In truth, my understanding of her could be said to have come about much easier than how you would achieve the same results. But, you are focusing on the wrong thing.”

“W..what do you mean?”

“You see her being guarded around you and others as an obstacle to get around,” Naruto answered. “But, what you should be asking yourself is, why does the obstacle exist?”

Soifon frowned not really understanding what Naruto meant, but she lapsed back into silence allowing him to notice that the woman they had just been discussing was standing in the road. She waited for them to catch up before reporting that she had noticed a few presences hiding nearby, but she believed they were Fuma shinobi due to their proximity to the capital. Naruto nodded as he looked forward to Kin’s reunion with her sister and his own with Sasame.

*****

Sasame followed the Daimyo of Rice Paddies out of his castle as he hurried to greet the wagon her shinobi had informed her was approaching. Feeling annoyed as the man had abruptly stood to leave while she had been in the midst of begging him to help pay for the higher transportation fees being incurred due to the lost shipments of weapons and other supplies that the bandits had attacked she said, “With all due respect sire, you need to take this situation seriously. The budget that you have allotted us for shipping necessary supplies that we need to combat these bandits has already been used. It’s only due to the supplemental income the Fuma receive from the businesses we established during our exile that we are able to keep ourselves armed. If we have to start combining larger shipments and have to face them head on… I’m not sure we’ll come out the victors.”

The orange haired woman nearly pulled an arrow from the quiver she now wore and stabbed it in the Daimyo’s back as he dismissively said, “Then perhaps I should hire them to protect my interests. Honestly, what use is it having a shinobi clan working for you if mere ruffians cause them to cower in fear?”

She gritted her teeth as she said, “Sire, with all due…”

“Oh be silent,” the Daimyo said quickly, “How many times are you going to repeat the same phrase. Well with all due respect to you, please remember who it was that came up with the strategy that is now the reason your costs are so high.”

“It was a good one sire,” Sasame said knowing getting angry wouldn’t help her situation. “By spreading out the shipments it allowed us to hunt down the bandits as they split up. It was working, but it was almost like they have received reinforcements or something.”

“So you’ve said,” the Daimyo said as they neared the entrance of his castle. “But just from where would they get reinforcements? They are bandits, not an army. They might be willing to follow a strong leader like Ahiko, but its straining the realm of believability to think he’s the head of some great army of bandits. Not to mention, you claim these reinforcements were better trained then the other bandits you faced. Where would he go to acquire such men and more importantly why would Ahikop keep them in reserve until things began to turn against him?”

“I don’t know, sire,” Sasame said, “However…”

“I’m done with this conversation,” the Daimyo said with a dismissive wave over his shoulder. “I refuse to further finance a plan that is just going to keep costing me more and more with no endgame in sight. If you are afraid to face Ahiko in battle then how can I believe throwing more money at the problem will correct it?”

Sasame frowned as he did have a decent point, but she tried to counter as they approached the wagon that had several women standing in front of it, “The plan was to remove most of his followers before directly confronting him. If you want me to change my strategy then please let me hire outside shinobi. There is someone in the Leaf that…”

“Anyone I know,” said a voice from inside the wagon that made Sasame’s eyes go wide in surprise as she trailed off.

She looked to the back of the wagon as Naruto stepped down having been helping to unload it. He gave her a wide smile and was nearly knocked back as Sasame quickly threw her hands around his neck after quickly closing the distance between them. She stepped back upon realizing her actions in front of the Daimyo and the other women present although a few of the citizens helping move the unloaded items smiled seeing the Clan head genuinely happy. “Sorry,” she quickly said as her cheeks colored from embarrassment at her actions.

“Don’t be,” Naruto said amused, “It’s good to see you again. I’m sorry it has taken so long.”

“I understand you’ve been busy,” Sasame said, having been following Naruto’s exploits. “But what brings you here now?”

“I would like to know the same thing,” the Daimyo said interjecting himself into the conversation. Naruto frowned as he added, “I was under the impression I had hired the Great Tree Shipping Company’s top talent to guard my shipment. I can’t say I’m pleased they farmed the job out to some Leaf Chunin.”

“I’m a genin,” Naruto said surprising the man who he figured thought that due to his age he would be ranked higher. Indicating Soifon and Yoruichi he added, “You did get some of their best to guard your shipment. I just tagged along with them as I knew I would be passing through some dangerous territory while trying to complete my own mission.”

“Well considering what I’ve heard about those assigned to guard Gold Shipments it seems you’ve made a pretty wise decision. I doubt a lowly genin would have made it here,” the Daimyo said.

Sasame tried to point out that Naruto was no normal genin but was cut off by the blond as he said, “Well, I’m just fortunate they let me tag along.”

“Indeed,” the man said in a tone Naruto felt was meant to be insulting. The middle aged man frowned as Naruto didn’t react so instead said, “What pray tell is your mission within my lands?”

Naruto indicated Kin as he answered, “We were hired to escort this woman through these lands in order to help her locate her sister. She just so happens to be a Fuma kunoichi.”

Sasame let a pleased smile appear as she said happily, “You’re Kin, I can see that family resemblance. Oh, Kotohime is going to be so happy.”

“Really,” Kin said with a note of cautious hope in her voice.

“Oh absolutely,” Sasame said energetically having grabbed Kin’s hand, “She talks about you all the time. She was devastated when she heard you died… but wait a minute if you didn’t…”

“It’s a long story,” Naruto said, “One I’m sure her sister would like to hear as well.” He then turned towards Soifon and Yoruichi as he said, “Ladies, thank you for taking such good care of us.”

Yoruichi gave a seductive purr as she replied, “Well, you did make it worth my while. I think we’ll hang around a bit so you can properly show how grateful you are.”

“But Lady Yoruichi shouldn’t we head back for another assignment?”

“What’s the hurry Soifon,” Yoruichi said already leaving the courtyard, “I’m sure there’s plenty of excitement to be had here. But if you want to head back I can’t stop you.”

“But Lady Yoruichi…” Soifon said following after the woman as she began pulling her clothes off before turning into her cat form. Snatching them up from the ground, the dark haired woman followed after the black cat as she darted into the city.

Naruto chuckled at the scene before having to take off in a similar manner as he noticed that Sasame was pulling Kin with her into the city. The two were being followed by a smiling Ino, who was waving at him follow along.

*****

Sasame felt nervous as she changed out of her ninja attire. Her normal attire usually consisted of a light purple sleeveless shirt that hugged her curves better than the one she had worn when she had first met Naruto. She had traded in the shorts that she had worn for a pair of loose fitting but rugged pants in the same brownish-green color. She had added knee pads as well having taken up her clan’s proficiency with the bow and arrow, so she often would drop down to steady her aim for extremely long shots or difficult shots.

She quickly showered as she felt the first vestiges of good cheer that she had in a while due to Naruto’s visit. But also due to Kin’s reunion with her sister. She smiled as she changed into a kimono to receive her guest as she recalled Kotohime opening the door after she had knocked on it. The dark haired woman had said, “This better not be another emergency Sasame. We’ve been running ourselves ragged for months you promised me some time off. I’d like a least a day or two before having to run out to drive off another group of bandits.”

“It’s not,” Sasame said struggling to keep the smile off her face. “But you’ll never guess who I ran into after my meeting with the Daimyo.”

Before Kotohime could reply, how unless it had something to do with her bed she didn’t particularly care. The orange haired kunoichi pulled Kin in front of the doorway. Sasame studied the older woman’s face as at first she struggled to figure out who she was looking at due to the years that had passed. But once the connection was made it had warmed her heart especially as with tears appearing in her eyes, Kotohime had shouted, “Kin!!!”

She launched herself at her sister wrapping her arms around her allowing Sasame to see that Kin’s face mirrored her siblings. They both quickly apologized at the same time causing those watching to laugh happily especially as they began talking and interrupting each other in order to find out more about what had happened in their lives up to that point. Ino had stepped in saying, “Ladies, perhaps we can take this reunion inside. I think you’ll agree a hallway doesn’t make for the best venue.”

Kotohime looked over about to ask who the Leaf kunoichi was, but her eyes settled on Naruto standing next to her as causing her to say, “Naruto!?” She looked over to Sasame with an amused look in her eye aware of her infatuation with the Uzumaki. Looking back at her sister she said, “Kin, there’s so much I need to say to you.”

“I know,” her sister replied, “I feel the same. There’s so much I need to apologize for.”

“That’s not important,” Kotohime said before adding, “Let’s continue this inside. I’m sure someone wants to have her own reunion with blond and good looking over there.”

Sasame flushed but had to giggle as Naruto said while his cheeks colored slightly from the compliment, “Actually, this is the first time Ino’s been to Rice Country so she really doesn’t know anyone.”

Kotohime smiled saying, “Well I’m sure you’ll figure out who I meant soon enough.” She stepped inside letting Kin enter the room, who sent a look towards Naruto that was filled with gratitude as well as some deeper emotions. Sasame noticed the look as did her sister, but didn’t let that deter her from mouthing to the orange haired kunoichi, “Ask him over,” before shutting the door.

Sasame let the warm memories temporarily banish her nervousness to simply enjoy the fact that in the shinobi world which often took a lot more than it gave back. Somebody close to her finally had her prayers answered. The nervousness returned full force though when someone began knocking on her door. She cursed before scrambling to put on some clothes her daydreaming having cost her the time that she had wanted to use in order to make herself presentable to her guest.

“Coming,” she called appearing from her room dressed in a loose purple shirt whose sleeves stopped just below her elbows and matching tight skirt that reached to her mid-thigh. She stopped just long enough to make sure she looked presentable in the reflective surface of a picture which featured her and the other members of the Fuma standing in front of Club Kitty. She adjusted the wide neck hole of her shirt as her orange bra strap was sticking out as the shirt was pulled too far to the right. Once she straightened her shirt, she smoothed out her hair before opening the door.

She smiled as she opened the door to find Naruto on the other end since she had taken Kotohime’s advice and invited him over. She quickly took in what he wore and noticed that although he wore orange pants with a black buttoned down shirt both were more of a more casual dress style then she would have expected him to pack while on a mission. She invited him in and although secretly pleased he was alone asked, “No Ino? Is she going to be alright spending the night alone?”

Naruto replied with a smile, “Oh, I’m sure she’ll find something to occupy her time.” He turned away as his smile grew a little lecherous while he recalled his blonde lover waving good-bye from the couch of the hotel room they had rented with a K-clone kneeling before her and its mouth clamped to her pussy. Taking in the room he said, “It seems the Fuma Clan experienced a bit of a resurgence since Orochimaru’s death.”

Sasame nodded, closing the door after the blond, “When word first reached everyone about how Sasuke betrayed him, Hanzaki had us quickly return to the capital. The Daimyo was more than happy to see us then.”

“Really,” Naruto said surprised, “I only caught snippets of your disagreement with him, but he seems to have gotten over his gratitude.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Sasame said letting her frustration out. “However, I do not want talk about that right now. How long are you staying?”

Naruto felt a frown as he had hoped Sasame would ask for his help, but he figured that she was either putting up a brave front or as he had heard knew she couldn’t afford to hire Konoha’s services without help from the Daimyo. Letting the subject drop for the moment, he answered, “Hard to say. Technically our mission is over, but I’m sure I could be persuaded to stick around for a few days.”

Sasame wasn’t sure what it was about Naruto’s tone that caused her to feel warmer inside, but feeling her cheeks beginning to color turned away as she said, “I’d like that. Would you like something to drink?”

“Surprise me,” Naruto said as he moved to her couch while Sasame moved to her kitchen area.

There she looked for something to serve before deciding to take advantage of the moment to break out a bottle of sake that Hanzaki had given her upon promoting her to clan head. Placing it on a tray with some serving cups, she stepped back into her living room asking, “Is this okay?”

Naruto recognized the brand having a few lovers that enjoyed their spirits so knew it was of high quality so replied, “Sure. But are you sure you want to waste that on me? It’s pretty expensive.”

“Really,” Sasame said surprised. “I got it as a gift from my predecessor. I’m not usually one for such things, but this is the first time I’ve been able to relax in a while.”

Naruto nodded so Sasame set the tray down on a coffee table before sitting down on her couch next to him. “May I,” he said indicating the bottle as she brought her feet up on the couch after nodding. He pulled out the stopper pouring some into the two cups before handing one to the Fuma kunoichi. Picking up his own, he asked, “What shall we drink to?”

“To happy reunions,” she said thinking of Kotohime’s with her sister as well as her own with the man she admired.

Naruto seconded the sentiment before taking a drink of his as he relaxed into the couch noting the fact that the orange haired kunoichi was sitting at the opposite end leaving a cushion width between them. He smiled as Sasame took a sip of hers and made it apparent she wasn’t a regular drinker when she took a steep intake of breath. “T-that’s pretty strong.”

“It’s quite good,” he replied taking another quaff from his glass. Sasame was glad to see Naruto relaxing, but she frowned as he asked, “So, what have you been up to these past few years?”

“I… I would rather not talk about it,” Sasame said noticing Naruto’s face take on one of concern. She put on a smile that she could only partial feel since while happy to have him around, the temptation to have him help with her clan’s desperate situation was also great. However, knowing that without the Daimyo’s permission or the funds to pay Konoha that she would be trading on their friendship, she said, “I’d much rather hear about you and your adventures. You made quite a few waves when you interfered in Iwa’s plot in Paradise City. It might have been on the other side of Earth Country, but for a time we thought these ba…” Sasame trailed off not wanting to bring up how her clan thought the bandits might be getting support from Iwa. Recovering, she took another sip of her drink before saying, “You’ve just been so busy. I’ve also heard you have a girlfriend now, congratulations.”

Naruto wanted to tell Sasame that she could burden him with her problems, but seeing as how even as she was trying to forget them that they were laying just beneath the surface, he knew there would be another chance to talk about it. Therefore, he said amused, “I wasn’t aware my love-life was a topic of discussion out here.”

Sasame was a little embarrassed she had brought it up so soon. Remembering her disappointment upon seeing his picture with Ayame and Sakura with the caption proclaiming the browned haired woman as such, she quickly said, “It was on the front page of a paper I read about the opening of that Hotel in Whirlpool. I also heard things got pretty out of control.”

Naruto had to let his concerns remain below the surface about the current theory being that Nyau crashed the last day of the ceremony so some group could test the chakra armor that he had worn. Having more practice then the orange haired woman he was quite certain he was able to fully hide it unlike she had been. Giving her a disarming smile he said, “Well, I’m sure every party has one or two troublemakers who show up to ruin everyone’s good times.”

Sasame giggled as she said, “Is that what you call a psychopath hoping to murder some singer?”

Naruto shrugged finishing his glass and pouring another said, “Well, weddings have their crashers looking to score free booze and pick up ladies. It’s only natural that an event attended by shinobi would have crazed stalkers wearing experimental armor.”

The Fuma kunoichi’s glass was empty so she held it out to Naruto, who filled it as she said amused, “You make it sound like just another day for you. So what other adventures have you had that such a thing seems to be almost mundane to you?”

Naruto launched into a lot of the things that had happened to him over the time span since they had last been in each other’s presence. Naturally he left out details of how many of the women he talked about were now his lovers. He noted that as the time went on the space between them had closed so that as he sat back on the couch after standing and using his hands to tell her about how he had survived the fall from the back of a bird-like creature while rescuing Pakura there were only a few inches between them. Sasame was kneeling excitedly as she asked, “Then what happened?”

Naruto smiled as he said, “Well then Hiruko appeared. I duked it out with him; while Pakura took on his remaining… well I’m not really sure what his team was. They merged into some weird beast while Hiruko retreated to activate his jutsu to power up since I was totally kicking his ass.” He smiled as Sasame giggled at his boasting, before continuing, “Well, Pakura managed to fry that thing with a massive sun orb while I distracted it, but then she tried to jump into her jutsu.”

“Why would she do that?”

Naruto swirled the liquid in his cup while answering, “She figured that Hiruko needed her to complete his jutsu and create his perfect form. She figured that by killing herself she would thwart his plan and if he proved too much for me I could then retreat safely.”

“A rather noble act,” Sasame said respectfully.

Naruto stopped his action with his cup replying, “Do you think so? I hate that type of thinking to be honest.”

Sasame looked at him surprised before asking, “What do you mean? As shinobi we are taught to sacrifice ourselves for the good of Clan or Village. What Pakura did would have insured Hiruko’s defeat.”

“Do you think so?” Naruto said, “It just seems rather defeatist to me.” Thinking of his actions with Kin, he said, “I’ve been willing to gamble my life for the sake of others. But, what the difference is that I’ve never viewed my life as being something to be thrown away. Pakura saw the scenario and figured her life had less value then a stated objective. Basically it was kill myself, deny the enemy an objective. In that situation, seeing her own existence as being meaningless against a potential outcome just… it doesn’t sit well with me. If her destiny was to end up as part of Hiruko’s perfect form then that was something she should have fought against with every fiber of her being, instead of giving up and just trying to deny him an objective.”

“But what if by doing so Hiruko would have gotten his hands on her and completed his jutsu?”

“Then it would have been up to us to stop him,” Naruto stated. “But expecting one person to throw away her life to make things convenient for everyone else is selfish. We are a lot stronger together then alone, and all of us should never be willing to sacrifice others to make our own situations better.”

“Even if that person was willing to do it themselves,” Sasame asked wondering if Naruto was speaking of her clan’s situation.

“Especially then,” Naruto said looking into her brown eyes, “A person willing to throw their life away without trying to the very end is taking the quick way out. There is a world of difference between thinking death is the best option and struggling to the end knowing that even if you succeed you might die. Pakura felt her death wouldn’t affect anyone and she could do something noble for others. She didn’t believe there was anyone waiting for her so it didn’t matter if she lived or died. She didn’t think there was anyone she could turn to when she needed it most. It kind of reminds me of someone else that I know. She’s trying to shoulder so much by herself even though there are lots of people willing to help. There’s one sitting in front of her right now.”